Buying an empty house with utilities disconnected

asbear

Hello experts!

I am buying my first home which has been empty for the last 8 months. I heard that the previous owner has passed away and it is now owned by a corporate. The house is 50 yrs old (1970) semi detached. It needs a full refurbishment but the boiler seemed to have been replaced within 10 yrs. Mortgage lender has completed a desktop valuation without visiting the property.

Unfortunately the water source and gas have been all disconnected so I was unable to check if the heating and plumbing operate normally. I asked EA to unlock the water source and gas so that I could do some simple check (like flushing toilet or checking water pressure on the first floor, central heating) however he said I will not be able to check those before completion. Electricity hasn't been disconnected. I checked with some surveyors and they said they won't be able to check anything about the water supply and heating with this state.

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

1. Is the seller legally obliged to fix any serious problems discovered after completion if they did not explicitly described any potential issues? For instance, if I found plumbing is broken or the heating is not working, would I be able to ask the seller to pay for the fix?
2. Would it be reasonable if I ask the vendor to reconnect all the utilities before exchange?
3. If nothing protects me, what is the best defensive thing I could ever do before completion?
4. Is this a commonly happening to the home buyers?

Thank you so much for your advice.

Vasquez65

Of course it’s reasonable to ask, if the vendor refused then I would think they were hiding something.
We’ve kept the water, gas and electric on for 7 months in my Dad’s house,  how else were viewers going to see it properly/see how warm it is during the winter?
Assuming the house isn’t dirt cheap and a real mess,  I would insist on them being put back on or I would walk away. 

greatcrested

asbear said:

1. Is the seller legally obliged to fix any serious problems discovered after completion if they did not explicitly described any potential issues? For instance, if I found plumbing is broken or the heating is not working, would I be able to ask the seller to pay for the fix? No
   
2. Would it be reasonable if I ask the vendor to reconnect all the utilities before exchange? Reasonable to ask. Likely to be refused.
   
3. If nothing protects me, what is the best defensive thing I could ever do before completion? Assume you'll need to replace the boiler and rewire as part of you renovation and budget accordingly
   
4. Is this a commonly happening to the home buyers?

Very common with repossessions and probate properties.

Insurance for empty propeties often requires water is off and drained down and power off to minimise risk of damage/

davidmcn

Before it starts causing confusion, I doubt the services have actually been "disconnected" (i.e. by the suppliers) - much more likely that they've merely been turned off and can easily be turned back on.

There's no harm in asking if you can arrange for them to be turned on for the purpose of testing, but don't be surprised if the answer is no. Otherwise you'll need to make your own guesses based on what the condition of everything looks like.

pbartlett

1. No

2. Yes but they could refuse. 

3. Nothing - you either buy the house or don't. I would think the risk of something catastrophic is low.

4. see @greatcrested

AdrianC

asbear said:

1. Is the seller legally obliged to fix any serious problems discovered after completion if they did not explicitly described any potential issues? For instance, if I found plumbing is broken or the heating is not working, would I be able to ask the seller to pay for the fix?

No, you are buying it in the condition it is in - with the water disconnected. Your problem, if they turn out to need work.

2. Would it be reasonable if I ask the vendor to reconnect all the utilities before exchange?

They won't.

3. If nothing protects me, what is the best defensive thing I could ever do before completion?

Not much... Shrug and accept that it's in pretty much the same unknown condition as any property.
The loo won't flush? An hour and a few quid on bits at Screwfix.
The 10yo, unserviced boiler's sulking? It could have done that the week after you moved in anyway.

4. Is this a commonly happening to the home buyers?

Of repos and empty properties? It's universal. Think about it... If the plumbing freezes and bursts while the property's unoccupied, it's going to get trashed before anybody notices. So the plumbing gets turned off and drained down to protect it.

pbartlett

Just to add to what @AdrianC says - the reason they just cannot turn the water on to show you is because it is almost certainly all drained down so refilling it for you and then draining down again would be a largish task.

AdrianC

AdrianC said:

Of repos and empty properties?

And also to clarify... I presume the corporate in this instance is an equity release company? Same situation as a repo, then, really. The place is empty, the previous owner is not available for discussion, you know nothing other than what you can poke.

And the vendor wants the absolute maximum they can get, no emotion, so be prepared for a last-minute gazump.

There's other threads on here about charity (specifically church) sales - again, same situation.

davidmcn

I would say some sellers can be more flexible - I used to deal with a relocation company who would allow buyers to test the services, as long as everything was drained back down again afterwards (and the buyer met the costs).

theartfullodger

It's a gamble.  I bought one place never having seen inside it.  Your decision!

[Deleted User]

I bought a property recently. An empty house. When the immersion heater was turned in, it over heated causing boiling water to rush to the expansion tank and it burst causing a massive escape of water - think ceilings all fell through ! 

Insured and all repaired now ( looks beaut) but it cost £8000. If I was selling a house that had been empty and unconnected that long, no way would I agree to your request as new pressure after so long with no pressure, could cause a leak in the pipes. 

Be careful if you buy and turn it on. I changed the whole system to a combi system - lovely boiler - but that change in pressure caused a leak in one of the pipes.
Then again Ive NEVER been lucky regarding water and have half a dozen flood stories to tell !